Pakistan vs England, 1st Test, Day 4 Highlights: Pakistan have lost the wickets of Babar Azam and Abdullah Shafique in their chase of 343 runs against England in the ongoing first Test at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. At stumps on Day 4, Pakistan reached 80/2, still needing 263 runs to win on the final day.

Harry Brook and Joe Root blasted quick-fire fifties as England set Pakistan 343-run target to win the opening Test on the fourth day in Rawalpindi on Sunday. Brook’s fiery 65-ball 87 and Root’s 69-ball 73 saw England race to 264-7 before skipper Ben Stokes called his batters back to the pavilion, leaving the home side a maximum 130 overs to see out.

Earlier, Pakistan reached 499-7 in its first innings on the lifeless wicket and still trailed by 158 runs at stumps on the third day with play again ending early because of fading light.

Captain Babar Azam (136), Imam-ul-Haq (121) and Abdullah Shafique (114) all hit tons on a run-friendly wicket which even Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ramiz Raja feels is not a great advert for test cricket.

But England hit back after tea when Ollie Robinson broke the 123-run stand between Babar and debutant Saud Shakeel (37). Robinson found the outside edge of Shakeel’s bat and Babar, who hit 19 fours and a six in his eighth hundred, played a cut against offspinner Will Jacks (3-132).

That wicket (of Babar) was almost the game-changing moment,” Jacks said after bowling 33 overs in the innings so far. “It was a great day for us… and as the match goes on, the pitch will get more turn. There is so much time left in the game (to win).”

Veteran James Anderson (1-47) used all his 175-test experience on an unresponsive wicket for the bowlers, before finally he got his first wicket in his 19th over when Mohammad Rizwan (29) was caught at short mid-wicket.

Babar and Shakeel denied England success in the middle session and guided Pakistan to 411-3 by tea with the Pakistan skipper dominating both spin and pace.

Babar was the seventh batter in three days to notch a hundred in England’s first test in Pakistan in 17 years after the visitors had posted 657 all out on the back of hundreds from England openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, Harry Brook and Ollie Pope.

England are playing their first Test series in Pakistan for 17 years, and have brought a limited-overs aggression to their batting in the first of three matches.